Angelic Demons: Love
by BriiDream
Summary: Gaara was absolutely certain that the Akasunas were no humans. He shivered as he remembered the thirsty look in Hinata’s eyes. He didn’t think he mind being devoured by an angel as stunning as that. Gaahina, AU. Formerly known as Demonic Angels.
1. The Angels of Amega

**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, who is not me.**

**Twilight's plot belongs to Stephenie Meyer, who is, yet again, not me.**

**NOTICE: ****THIS IS BEING EDITTED.** **It is an earlier work of mine that is Beta-less and I will be making basic changes to sentence structure, grammar, etc while continuing with updating. If you catch something that needs work, please point it out to me. Thanks! **

**=)**

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**Angelic Demons: Love**

**By BriiDream**

Chapter One: The Angels of Amega

"You sure 'bout this, G?"

Gaara turned and looked over at his clearly uncomfortable brother.

Kankuro continued, "You can stay with Tayuya and me, y'know. Forget them stuck-up brothers of hers!"

Gaara let out an inaudible sigh. This was the 38th time they went over this. He looked away as he replied, "I want to go, Kankuro. I need to spend time with Temari. I haven't been that close to her."

He rolled down the window and let the warm, dry air run through his red locks. The sun's heat on his face was nice. He knew he should enjoy it as much as he could now before boarding the airplane headed to the rainiest town in the entire country, Amega.

Amega was a town he had despised ever since his sister moved there five years ago to be with her husband, Shikamaru Nara. Every summer since then, Gaara had visited his sister. In Suna, August was a hot month with the lowest temperature being 85 degrees Fahrenheit. It never rained in August. In Amega, it rained at least three days a week, and the highest temperature was nowhere close to eighty degrees. He had suffered greatly during those monthly visits.

Now, he was returning to that dreaded town to stay for much longer than a month. He prayed that he survive to college. If he didn't, well, that would be one less burden on Temari's and Kankuro's backs, and Tayuya's brothers would be pleased.

Gaara's eyes narrowed as he remembered the cause for his exile. Tayuya had married Kankuro after a very short time of dating. Tayuya was tough and brazen-the perfect woman for nonchalant Kankuro. Gaara got along just fine with her. Her brothers were a whole different matter. Their relationship was no less than hostile. It put a strain on Tayuya's relationship with them.

"When you decide you want to come back," Kankuro mumbled, pulling Gaara out of his thoughts, "Just call me. I'll come home."

Tayuya's band was going on a country tour. Kankuro wanted to go since he had missed some of their performances because of the days-long travel which would have interfered with Gaara's education. It was another reason why Gaara was moving in with Temari.

"Sure." Gaara and Kankuro were not very verbose about their feelings. They got along just fine without them. He knew it was going to be the opposite with Temari.

* * *

He slid into a window seat, his favorite position. Once his headphones were securely on, he closed his eyes and focused on the musical rhythms. The steady beat in the background captured his attention over the lyrics. Meditating was a frequent activity of his.

His thoughts turned to Temari and Kankuro. As a child, he had once despised them for never being abused by their father like he was. Later on after their father's assassination, he learned that Temari and Kankuro had suffered emotional abuse just as much as he had. They forgave his antagonism and strived to become a better family for him. While under Baki's charge, they had been doing great. Then, Temari went on and got engaged to Shikamaru. Shortly after her eighteenth birthday, the wedding was held and Temari left for Shikamaru's hometown. Once Kankuro reached eighteen, Gaara was placed under shared custody between Temari and him. Gaara chose to live with Kankuro. Now, Kankuro was married and moving on to his own life.

His eyes opened briefly. Now was not the time to fall into a depressed state. It would be harder to fix a pleasant mood once the airplane arrived in Kiri. Gaara glanced at his watch. He had two more hours before they landed. He tugged his headphones off and pulled out the book he bought after his farewell dinner with Tayuya and Kankuro.

He ran his finger down the new spine. Novels rarely caught his attention. _Father_ never would've promoted such an interest. Still, it was a getaway from reality. He managed not to think of rain or estranged sisters for a good seventy minutes.

* * *

Temari was waiting anxiously in the airport. She greeted him with a smile, and he returned it just a few seconds late. They walked in silence to her secondhand Cadillac. The ride was quiet, as it had always been before during his summer visits. Only this time, the silence was more uncomfortable because, like their brother, she was puzzled at his sudden desire to move to a place that made him unhappy.

Gaara carried his meager luggage by himself to the bedroom that was designated his six summers ago. It was somewhat small compared to the one back in Suna, but large enough to hold a bed, a bookshelf, and an outdated computer atop an ancient desk. He took his time unpacking-which meant he was done in less than ten minutes.

"Gaara, come downstairs!"

Gaara let out another inaudible sigh. Another reason he didn't like his time here: while Kankuro let him have all the moping time he wanted, Temari permitted none. He shuffled downstairs to join Temari and Shikamaru in the kitchen.

The main theme colors of the house were green and brown. As if there wasn't enough of nature outside. He had finally succeeded in getting Temari to paint his room light blue like a clear Suna sky two summers ago. It was the only room in the whole house that stood out. Gaara half-wished that Temari was just as girly as some women who enjoyed decorating their house instead of letting their mother-in-law do it.

"How are you, Gaara," Shikamaru asked as Gaara sat down across from him. Temari worked behind him at the stove. The smell of fish frying drifted lazily in the air, which would eventually spread to the entire house by the end of the meal.

"Fine," Gaara replied. He stared around the kitchen. It hadn't changed since his last visit, except for a few different photos and letters added to the refrigerator's door.

Gaara sometimes wished he hadn't realized why he was always expecting a change every time he came to visit. Always looking for some physical hint that Temari had fully moved on from the family she had once been a part of with Kankuro and him. There never was any. The photographs of a much younger Gaara and Kankuro in the living room and the letters that Gaara sent in reply to hers that decorated her dresser upstairs were evidence enough.

"Naruto and Lee will be glad to hear you're here," Shikamaru continued. Gaara's eyes narrowed slightly. Paranoia questioned if Temari had forced her spouse beforehand to talk to him. "School starts tomorrow. You might like it better than Suna. It's a lot smaller."

Gaara didn't reply. Temari placed the fried fish, mashed potatoes, and biscuits on three plates and placed them on the table. Both males began eating without another comment. It was the same meal he had nearly every day during his summer visits. Still, he couldn't complain about the homemade meal; his diet in Suna mainly consisted of ice cream, coffee, and whatever take-out Kankuro or Tayuya happened to pick up on the way home.

"So how's Tayuya," Temari asked as she sat down and joined them in eating. Her burning curiosity was badly concealed. She hadn't expected Kankuro and Tayuya's marriage to last very long. She had been furious when Kankuro had decided to marry someone older and just as immature as him.

"Fine. Her band's going on tour," Gaara responded after chewing on a large piece of fish so long it had turned into an almost type of sauce in his mouth. "Since I decided to come here, Kankuro's going to travel on tour with them."

"I heard." And clearly didn't approve. "How he can do that and miss six months of work is beyond me."

Gaara decided it wasn't the best time to mention that Kankuro had fully quit his job at the CD shop for the tour. That would definitely make Temari's day. Once it became clear he wasn't going to comment, Shikamaru and Temari discussed their day at work. Shikamaru worked at the police station (one of only four officers) and had been helping his parents lately on their deer farm. Temari was now working at the high school. She was substituting for a teacher that had gone on her honeymoon and was now on maternal leave (a full five months before the kid was due). She seemed hopeful that she might keep the job permanently since this particular teacher had been on leave because of her surgery the schoolyear before.

Gaara slipped away to his bedroom after faking fatigue from his flight. He laid back on his bed with his headphones on again. Temari checked on him around ten o'clock and advised him to sleep soon. He took his sleeping pills around midnight which knocked him out instantly. He drifted into the black ocean of dreams he wouldn't remember later.

* * *

Awakening to the pounding rain was extremely different from waking to a sandstorm at its worst. His headphones had slipped off during one of his many tosses and turns. He got out of bed and fumbled through his closet for something to protect him against the onslaught outside. He finally pulled on his favorite red hoodie that had 'Death Angel Coming Through' written across the front and the raincoat he always left here over it. He headed downstairs where the smell of fried eggs wafted in almost visible waves.

"How was your night," Temari asked after kissing Shikamaru goodbye. She dumped the rest of the eggs on his plate. "You better hurry or we'll be late for your first day of school."

Gaara sighed. He would be riding with Temari to and from school from now on. Amega High School did not have any buses. In Suna, he had caught the city bus every afternoon and rode to the CD shop in the morning with Kankuro since it was just a 3-block walk to the school.

Amega High was small. It was just three large buildings. The cafeteria and gym were each their own building. The 15 other classrooms were in the two-story building with bleached walls. The parking lot was already full. Temari parked by the other line of teachers' vehicles (none were new and some looked even older than Temari's '88 Cadillac).

"Do you want me to show you to the office," Temari smiled. He glared at her in disbelief. She laughed and got out of the car. "Have a nice day then."

Gaara reluctantly got out and hurried to the double doors. Even with his raincoat, he was drenched right through. He pushed his way through the small crowd to the office which was mercifully close to the lobby. The office was a toasty, unorganized room, no bigger than a regular classroom. The secretary quickly gave him his schedule and map without any further ado while talking on the phone and clawing the keyboard in front of her with fierce speed.

The hall had mostly cleared with a minute to the bell, and he found the classroom with ease. He hung his raincoat beside the mass on the wall. The teacher mercifully sent him to the back of the classroom-his favorite place.

"Gaara!" A blonde blur streaked across the classroom (crashing through several desks and scowling classmates). "I thought Lee was kidding when he said you were coming to stay!"

"Only for the next fifteen months," Gaara muttered under his breath. Naruto was a natural for attracting the spotlight which he had done yet again; unfortunately, he himself was included in that spotlight. Several of their classmates seemed stuck between being cross with Naruto and being curious of him. "Will you shut up? Class is starting."

Naruto rolled his eyes, but was quiet enough that the teacher was able to get the class to turn their attention to the history of William Shakespeare. Of course, Naruto's attention was still as short as ever (if not more) and he whispered under his breath to Gaara.

"Why didn't you mention this last summer? Man, I thought we were best friends."

"I didn't tell you because I didn't decide until recently," Gaara replied almost inaudible. Of course, Naruto was unable to read lips, so Gaara spoke slightly louder. "Besides it isn't a real big deal."

"Mr. Sabaku," the teacher called disapprovingly. The entire class twisted in their seats to stare at him. "Can you and Mr. Uzumaki wait to discuss your trivial, high school social life until after my class is over?"

Gaara kicked Naruto under the desk when the teacher turned away. Several kids giggled as Naruto moaned in pain. Gaara faked taking notes until the class was over. He didn't care for William Shakespeare and his stupid romantic plays where teen girls got married and the tragedy ends with tearful declarations of passion.

Naruto didn't have any other classes with him until after lunch. Spanish was a contradiction upon itself. The teacher was a peculiar female who told the students to call her by her first name Anko. She dismissed him easily. The blonde he sat by was another story. She talked to him the entire class period; Anko didn't even look over from her intense conversation with two other guys attempting to prove their Spanish tongue as high-quality.

"You're Naruto's friend, aren't you," she commented. "Who are you staying with again?"

"My sister and her husband," Gaara muttered annoyed. She looked thoughtful and Gaara prayed she got all the gossip she needed. His prayers proved unanswered when she spoke again in great pleasure.

"Shikamaru Nara is your brother-in-law, isn't he? Our dads are friends! He was in elementary school with me."

"He was in school with you," Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow.

"Yeah, he's only a couple years older than me," Ino replied eagerly, thrilled to finally to have caught his attention. "He skipped a couple of grades in middle and high school. A lot of people were disappointed that he didn't go to college."

"He did go," Gaara muttered to himself, too low for Ino to hear. He mulled over the interesting piece of information she had given him. He already knew that Shikamaru was younger than Temari, but he had never cared to ask how much younger. Ino could be no older than eighteen, and Temari was less than six months from her 24th birthday. That would mean that Shikamaru must be around twenty or twenty-one. It also meant that Shikamaru was underage when he married Temari, since she was barely of age when they said their vows.

Gaara easily blocked out the other students as he mused over the startling information. He didn't pay attention when Ino introduced some of her female friends; when the teachers signed their names on his slip; when he was dragged towards the cafeteria by Ino. He wasn't pulled out of his thoughts until he and Ino were cut off from her beeline to her friends by the most astonishing group of… of humans he ever seen.

There were five of them. The crowd seemed to part for them, which hinted to Gaara that he wasn't imagining the _angels_ before him. They wore clothes that belong on racks in Paris and their skin shimmered. Every single one of them was graceful like dancers off of Broadway. One of them looked back curiously at him. Gaara stopped breathing, caught like a deer in the pupilless amethysts that were her eyes. She was definitely the youngest of the angels. Her long, dark hair whipped around her shoulders when she looked back at him. Even though the distance was increasing between them, he still caught a whiff of lilacs and rose petals that drifted towards him. Her curious eyes turned thirsty in just a split second. His hair stood on end even after another female angel wrapped her arms around his angel's waist. Her head whipped back around and they disappeared into the crowd. It all took the space of ten seconds.

"Rude as ever," Ino made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat. She continued along her path dragging a dazed Gaara behind her. "Always acting like they run the school."

"That's your first time seeing them, huh," Naruto asked as Gaara sat between him and Lee to escape Ino who went to pout and scowl with her friends. Naruto grinned pervertedly as Gaara attempted to smooth out his unsteady breathing pattern. "I reacted the same way."

"They moved here two years ago," Lee looked across the cafeteria over the heads of the other students. "They are as beautiful as the Greek gods and goddesses we learned about in Mythology."

Gaara followed Lee's gaze across the cafeteria where the angel-like students sat only at a table. No one sat within a three-yard radius of them. He studied them more closely now that he wasn't close enough to be too dazzled by their breath-taking beauty. His dark-haired angel sat by a girl with short pink hair (he wondered if it was dyed; he couldn't see any roots). The pinkette had alluring green eyes. She still had an arm around the other girl. Beside her, was a boy just as slender as she. He had dark hair and dark, greedy eyes that watched everyone. Across from them were a clearly seniors. The boy was more sturdy than the darker angel across him, but still subtle in physical comparison to some of the school's jocks. His long, brunette hair cascaded down past his shoulders. The brunette beside him with warm, amused brown eyes ran her fingers through his hair. The only ones who looked remotely related was the senior boy and the beautiful young girl.

"You shouldn't waste your time, Gaara," one of Ino's friends leaned towards him. She glared at the angels. "We're beneath them."

"And Neji will skin you alive and eat your writhing guts if you show interest in Hinata," Naruto joked then looked serious for the first time that day. "No, wait. Neji will skin you, and Sasuke will eat you."

"Which is which," Gaara asked paying no heed to the warning. He continued to stare at the angel who leaned into the pinkette's shoulder.

"The one you're goggling is Hinata Akasuna, the baby girl of the family," Naruto grinned.

"I do not goggle," Gaara narrowed his eyes at Naruto. He looked over at the girls who appeared upset that the angels held his attention. "Are they all Akasunas? They don't look related."

"They are Dr. Akasuna and her husband's foster kids," Lee explained helpfully. "Neji, Hinata, and Sasuke are siblings. TenTen and Sakura are Mr. Akasuna's nieces."

"And they're all together," Ino said disgustedly. "Neji and TenTen are practically hooked together, and Sakura _clings_ to Sasuke."

"I thought they weren't related," Gaara hid his relief that his angel Hinata was not paired.

"They live together," Ino exclaimed, looking scandalized. "That has to be against the law!"

"It's no more against the law since you started pestering Shikamaru last year," Naruto snorted and rolled his eyes. "You really should stop trying to get police involved simply because Sasuke has something better to look at than you."

Ino shot out her chair and ran out the cafeteria. Her friends shot Naruto glares and rude words before hurrying after her. Naruto shrugged and grabbed a pudding cup off one of their trays. Gaara looked over at Lee to ask him for an explanation, but Lee was glaring at Naruto.

"Naruto! It's rude to make girls cry," Lee scolded him fiercely. "You know how highly sensitive they are!"

"Ino's a pig," Naruto argued back. "She acts like she's the center of the world. No wonder no one likes her. She went after Sasuke _and_ Neji. She just likes the next bad boy that comes around."

Gaara ignored their argument and turned back to stare at the angel Hinata. He started when he noticed she was staring right back at him. She blushed and looked away before he had time to avert his eyes. He stared fascinated at her when he was certain she wasn't looking at him. Her cheeks looked even more lovely as pink settled across them for a brief moment.

"Gaara, will you please stop acting like a dog in heat," Naruto half-shouted in exasperation. Gaara punched him in the side.

"Shut up," Gaara hissed. He felt heat slowly rise up his neck as he noticed that not only did a couple of kids at surrounding tables look over, but half of the Akasunas did as well. He jumped up, carefully keeping his eyes averted from the Akasunas. "Come on! We'll be late."

Lee rocketed off to his class, leaving Gaara to walk with a grumbling Naruto. As they reached the doors, Gaara glanced back at the Akasunas' table. He halted when he saw they were gone. There wasn't anything that even suggested that the table had been used-no balled up napkin under the table or a drop of spilled soda. As if no one had been there.

Then again, did angels leave messes? Gaara was absolutely certain that the Akasunas were no humans. He shivered as he remembered the thirsty look in Hinata's eyes. He didn't think he mind being devoured by an angel as stunning as that.

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**I hope the changes are an improvement. Opinions and advice are very much desired.**

**Thanks,**

**Brii**


	2. Scandalous

**Neither Naruto nor Twilight's plot belong to me.**

**Thank you for the reviews! I'm working really hard on this story. I hope you enjoy this next installment.**

**SO FAR: **_Gaara moves to Amega to live with his sister, and he sees the Akasunas and believes them to be otherworldly creatures._

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**Angelic Demons: Love**

**By BriiDream**

Chapter Two: Scandalous

"That's strange."

"What is?" Gaara didn't bother looking up from his doodling. Mr. Umino had kindly let the class have five free minutes at the end of class. The lesson had been boring since Suna schools were ahead, curriculum-wise. Gaara was certain that he wouldn't have to pay attention for another week if he had done his mental math correctly.

"None of the Akasunas came to class," Naruto pointed at three empty chairs beside them (they were the only two in the back). "Sakura and Hinata rarely skip school halfway through the day. They're model students."

Gaara looked up. He wondered if the whole family had skipped. He agreed with Naruto that the pinkette and her beautiful sister definitely didn't look like ditchers. Gaara glanced at the front of the room where Mr. Umino was going patiently over the homework assignment with a hyperventilating girl who look like she was going to burst into tears any minute.

"We have gym with them, too," Naruto continued to speak to Gaara who was catching tidbits of Naruto's semi-monologue. "You should see them! Sakura and Hinata both have nicely shaped legs-"

Gaara groaned as he realized that he had gym. Gym was a despicable class; the only one that kept him from being a straight-A or Honor Roll student. Everyone used to cower when the Suna coach would force him into playing. He had also developed a secret phobia of flying projectiles (footballs, tennis balls, soccer balls, basketballs, etc.). Of course, he had been kicked out of gym after sustaining injuries that required paramedics several times.

"Come on, Gaara! The bell rung a minute ago," Naruto tugged impatiently at his hoodie. "I'm starting to suspect that you zone out the entire world, not just me. How did you ever manage in Suna?"

"It's not hard to become deaf in a classroom of less than twenty students compared to thirty students," Gaara replied and followed Naruto out the main building to the gym. It was slightly smaller than the one in Suna.

"Ah, Gaara," the white-haired old coach boomed walking over. "So you're the cute redheaded student I've been hearing about nonstop. I thought you were a girl!"

"Hey, Jiraiya," Gaara leaned away and seized the back of Naruto's jacket, so the blonde couldn't leave him with his godfather. "You're the gym coach?"

"Nah, just subbing," Jiraiya grinned, ignoring Naruto's exaggerated choking. He handed Gaara a gym uniform and winked. "Why don't you just watch today? It would be heartless of me to send you into the locker room and let you fend off those hormonal boys!"

"Thank you, Jiraiya." A brief smile of gratitude flitted across his face before releasing Naruto and grabbing the gym clothes. He sat on the bleachers and ignored Naruto's indignant cries of unfairness.

Jiraiya was a friend of Shikamaru's dad. He lived down on the beach and had practically raised Naruto. Every summer, Temari had forced him to go down to the beach whenever Shikato did to make friends. For the first two summers, he had mainly sat on Jiraiya's porch while the two old men had gossiped. Then, he had reluctantly accepted Naruto's friendship and spent time with him in his bedroom. Jiraiya had thankfully picked up on his anti-athlete vibes.

Gaara couldn't fully relax during the class; he tensed every time someone got hit in the head with the volleyball. It only happened eight times (and mostly to Naruto), but Gaara was certain that once he was pushed onto that volleyball court, the number was going to increase to three times that amount.

* * *

Gaara waited in the hall of the main building as the rest of the students hurried into the downpour. He could barely see the outlines of students as they raced to the dry havens of their cars. The parking lot was half-empty by the time Temari came down the hall. He saw her before she saw him. She looked unhappy, but her expression cleared when she spotted him.

"Why didn't you go to the car?" Temari pulled her hood up and zipped her raincoat as far as it would go.

"I didn't have the keys," Gaara replied as he mimicked her moves. He glanced out the door and shuddered miserably. He was still going to drown.

"I don't lock my doors," Temari informed him. She pushed the door open. "Let's go."

Gaara ran behind Temari to the car. He didn't slip until he got to the car. He caught himself on the side mirror. He yanked the door opened and slipped in quickly. He had the door opened for only thirty seconds at maximum, but his seat was still soaked as much as his body was.

"There's no point of taking a shower tonight," Gaara snarled under his breath, yanking his hand through his soggy hair that had suffered from the rain even with two hoods on.

"The rain's supposed to let up tomorrow," Temari commented turning on the heater and pulling out the parking lot. "Do you mind me going to the food market first? You don't have to go in."

"Fine," Gaara stared out the window. He didn't look back around and Temari didn't speak anymore. He was glad when she got out the car at the supermarket and took the tensed silence with her. He then slammed his fist against the dashboard.

Gaara never knew how to deal with sensitivity. He never had a reason to feel sorry for being blunt or thoughtless towards a girl until he moved in with Kankuro. A lot of Kankuro's girlfriends ran off because they found him hurtful. His brother had always shrugged it off. Tayuya was different, having grown up with five brothers of her own. He never had to worry about hurting Tayuya; she would always hurt him back twice as painful. Temari was another story. She wasn't an oversensitive girl; yet, Gaara always found a way to be the one person to hurt her.

"This is all I really need, to get kicked out before Tayuya's tour has even begun," Gaara grumbled sourly to himself. He crossed his arms and sulked until Temari came out the store. He quickly pulled a blank mask on as she got in with the grocery bags.

"I got barbecue, so we can have chicken tonight," Temari smiled briefly as she headed home. She had to focus carefully on the street since the sheet of rain virtually made the road disappear.

"What were you upset about back at the school," Gaara asked hesitantly.

"One of my co-workers hinted rather strongly that the teacher I'm subbing for will likely get her job back since there are no _professional _teachers looking for a job." Temari made a face. "I can't exactly afford to be out of a job next year. You'll have college application fees and not to mention the actual tuitions!"

"You don't have to pay for any of that," Gaara said taken aback. He had never really thought about college that much that he worried about the cost. He had always imagined himself going to the community college in Suna or taking courses online.

"I will pay some of it," Temari smiled, although her tone was firm. She wasn't changing her mind anytime soon. She frowned again. "It's not just that. I liked teaching. It makes me feel useful. You have no idea how it feels to sit around a house, do chores, and cook for my husband every single day. I wasn't exactly made for that job."

Gaara knew she wasn't. It had been a large shock when she announced she was getting married. Kankuro had use that point in his argument against the marriage. Temari had always been the girl to go out and get what she wanted-the girl destined for college and a high-paying career. But Shikamaru was what Temari wanted. She had been willing to wear the white gown and ring for him.

"Do you want any teacher to break a leg or just a particular one," Gaara offered with a slight smile on his face. He wasn't joking.

"No thanks, Gaara," Temari laughed as she pulled up in the driveway. "We can't have Shikamaru arresting you. Do you know how scandalous that would be for a town this size?"

Gaara grabbed his bookbag and a couple of grocery bags and hurried to the porch. He quickly found the key under the mat and had the door opened just as Temari stepped up beside him. He dumped his bookbag on the floor beside the door before heading to the kitchen. Temari stopped in the hall to take her raincoat off. Gaara dropped the groceries on the table and proceeded to strip in the warm kitchen.

"Er, son, I have no problem with you doing your own thing, but could you possibly do it in a room with closed doors?"

Gaara glanced up at the older and scar-ridden version of Shikamaru. He glanced at the pile of soggy clothes on the floor. He shrugged and peeled his jeans off (his boxers had somewhat survived). He grabbed the pile of clothes and headed upstairs. He threw the clothes carelessly in the hamper, and grabbed a nice dry pair of sweats and a T-shirt.

"How is Yoshino," Temari asked Shikato as she put the groceries away. Gaara sat at the table across from Shikato. Shikato nodded at him, which he returned.

"She's the usual," Shikato drawled. "She wants y'all to come down for a visit sometime. She's complaining about how I'm no company for her."

"We'll come down as soon as possible," Temari promised while she started to pull pots and pans out of the cabinet. Gaara hoped her fingers were crossed. He liked Shikamaru's mother very little (she had a personality too much like Ino's). "Are you staying for dinner?"

"No, I just needed to get out of the house for awhile," Shikato stretched. "None of the guys were available."

They heard the door opened and Shikamaru tripping over something and swearing. Gaara slid out his chair and headed to the living room. His suspicions were confirmed when Shikamaru picked up his bookbag.

"Sorry," Gaara apologized taking his bookbag. Shikamaru muttered incoherently under his breath as Gaara jogged upstairs. He threw his bookbag on his bed as he passed it. He turned the computer on. It would take awhile for it to fully boot up so he headed back downstairs. Shikato had left during his absence.

"Dinner will be done in an hour," Temari told them. "I didn't get around to asking you about school, Gaara. So?"

"It was boring, actually," Gaara shrugged. "Do you know the Akasunas?"

"The Akasunas," Shikamaru asked. He stopped on his way into the living room. "You mean Dr. Akasuna's foster children?"

"Yeah, I saw them at school," Gaara trailed off. He wasn't certain how either would react if he admitted an obsession with the youngest Akasuna.

"I have Neji and TenTen in my class," Temari turned around to face Gaara. "They're really great kids. The boys are really overprotective of their sister Hinata; it's the only thing that gets them in trouble."

"People consider them scandalous for their relationships," Shikamaru added, rolling his eyes. "The Akasunas is the biggest gossip to hit this town in decades. It makes Temari and me look like a perfectly average couple. Dr. Akasuna is quite a few years older than her husband as well."

"How much younger than Temari are you," Gaara inquired, remembering his earlier curiosity.

"Just about three years," Shikamaru shrugged. He looked Gaara in the eye quickly. "But don't let that slip to my mom or dad. We told them that Temari was barely two years older than me to get them to concede to our marrying young."

"Sure," Gaara nodded. He turned and spoke over his shoulder. "I'm getting on the Internet for a bit."

Gaara went back upstairs and sat in front of the computer. He shot down ads while he logged into his e-mail account. While he waited for it to fully download, he started his homework, which was a breeze for the most part. He checked his e-mail for anything from Kankuro. Nothing. He deleted all the other junk mail before shutting down the computer. He hopped down the stairs two at a time once the smell of barbecued chicken floated up the stairs. Temari was just placing everything on plates and putting it on the table when he sat down.

"Do you have any plans this weekend, Gaara," Shikamaru asked after a few minutes of silence. Temari glanced up from her rice and beans.

"I just got here," Gaara replied, raising a nonexistent eyebrow at the strange question.

"So, I guess you can accompany us to my parents' this weekend for dinner," Shikamaru said offhandedly. He picked at his perfect sleeve. Gaara scowled at his devious brother-in-law. He had no choice, but to go now; Shikamaru had made certain to skillfully word it in a way that he couldn't refuse.

He headed back upstairs once Shikamaru and Temari sat down on the couch together. They weren't cuddling (yet), but Gaara had too much trauma from Kankuro and Tayuya to risk a surprised attack on his non-innocent mind. He popped in a different CD into his CD player and sat on his bed. He pulled his Trig homework out again and attempted to correct a couple of problems he knew were dead wrong.

Unfortunately, his hand had other ideas and kept turning his diagrams and numbers into the flowing hair and graceful body of Hinata Akasuna. Exasperated and slightly annoyed with himself, he threw the paper away and redid his homework all togetherHe dumped his homework into his bookbag at eleven and yanked the quilt over his head. His eyelids closed heavily without the sleeping pills.

Gaara tossed and turned in his sleep while a pale, shimmering angel danced beneath his eyelids, showing more skin than he had yet to see in consciousness. He moaned lightly as the warm pink of her blush caressed her cheeks. He jerked awake, panting and sweaty, at half past four in the morning. He laid there until his heartbeat slowed. He then yanked his headphones off, grabbed another pair of boxers, and slipped down the hall to the bathroom to take a shower.

He shivered as the hot water hit his back. He stood there until it eventually ran cold, letting it washed away the sweat. Once dressed, he crept back to his room as quietly as possible. He then laid on his bed, musing over the strange dream he had. It was by far the strangest. He had liked the way Hinata had appeared in his dream. He sighed and curled up. He should ignore the dream to the best of his ability. He was definitely certain that it was along the line of criminal to stalk beautiful strangers in your dreams.

* * *

**Finally finished re-editting. Please point out any errors I might have missed.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	3. Hinata Akasuna

**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, and Twilight's plot belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

**SO FAR: **_Gaara learns a few details about the Akasunas while getting settled into a routine at home with Temari and Shikamaru._

* * *

**Angelic Demons: Love**

**By BriiDream**

Chapter Three: Hinata Akasuna

Gaara grumbled as he came downstairs late again. Even though he hadn't slept at all since waking up a few hours ago, it still took him twice as long as yesterday to find something to wear. Shikamaru was already gone, and a fully prepared Temari stood at the door, hands on hips.

"Grab the coffee and let's go," Temari snapped. Gaara slipped into the kitchen and down the scalding coffee in one go (effectively burning his throat beyond speech). Temari threw him his raincoat and yanked the front door opened. "Honestly, Gaara! When did you start becoming the laggard of the family?"

Gaara hurried after her, somewhat relieved it was only drizzling outside. Of course, these would be one of those days the townspeople called "good weather." He slid into the car and ignored Temari's continued rant on laziness being the fad these days and his need for an alarm clock. The parking lot was already full when they pulled in. As Gaara headed down the hall to first period, Temari called after him. All he caught was 'mess' and 'comb'; he waved her off.

He didn't even notice that class had already begun when he walked in. Everyone stared as he walked to the back of the room and slid into a desk beside a sleeping Naruto. The teacher glared daggers at him which Gaara returned- the contest ended when the teacher huffed and looked away, muttering darkly. Gaara wondered if it was possible to hate someone you couldn't even remember the name of.

His head dropped onto his arm halfway through class. He literally jumped when the bell rung. Naruto yawned beside him and stood up. Gaara sighed and followed him out of the class, not wanting to be the last one out (he wasn't sure he could keep from breaking _this_ teacher's leg). He pushed on through the morning with only the thought of seeing Hinata Akasuna keeping him from snapping on anyone.

As soon as he entered the cafeteria, he glanced immediately at the Akasunas' table. All five were sitting at the lone table surrounded by empty ones. Gaara quickly grabbed a drink and a bagel and sat down beside Lee. Lee was talking animatedly with Naruto and some other kids about plans for a trip to some beach. Ino was still seething about Naruto's attack yesterday and wasn't paying attention to any of them. Gaara took a bite out of his bagel and turned his attention to the Akasunas.

They were all dressed stylishly and still had the angelic glow to them. Hinata's dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, making her look much bolder. She wore a pretty blouse with long sleeves and navy blue dress pants. The arrangement had changed in their seats. TenTen and Sakura sat with their heads together, poring over something that Gaara couldn't see from this angle. Sasuke sat across from Sakura; she reached across the table and squeezed his hand occasionally. Sasuke looked completely dressed down compared to his brother who sat on the other side of Hinata. Neji's eyes were colder and more guarded than Hinata's warm, open ones. He wore a white collared shirt with black slacks.

Hinata glanced over at him. Gaara looked away; no need for her to think he was a stalker. He ripped the bagel into ten smaller pieces before eating them one by one. Counting to sixty in his head after the last piece, he chanced a look in her direction. She was still staring him. Her eyebrows pushed together in confusion and frustration.

"Gaara, you will be late to class if you stay here." Lee tugged on his sleeve. Gaara glanced around at the half-empty cafeteria.

"Where's Naruto?"

"Message from Jiraiya in the office. I hope everything is alright."

Gaara nodded absently. He glanced back at the Akasunas' table. Yet again, the family had disappeared without a trace. He frowned. Last time, he hadn't looked back for maybe three minutes, but this time was barely a minute. He was certain that unless they were literally disappearing into thin air, it was impossible to move that fast.

He arrived late to class again. Mr. Umino frowned, but didn't say anything as Naruto followed him into the classroom. Naruto looked worried and distracted, so Gaara pulled him into their seats from yesterday. He glanced over at the used-to-be empty seats beside them. The younger Akasunas occupied them. His attention was drawn reluctantly back to the front of the classroom by Mr. Umino.

"Thanks to the scores on your mid-exams, I have decided to give all of you assigned seats." Mr. Umino raised his businesslike tone over the groans and whines. "I am only apologizing to those who got perfect scores for having to deal with the immaturity of their classmates."

Mr. Umino then placed the students in their new, assigned seats. Gaara was displeased to be put up in the front of the classroom. His annoyance evaporated when Hinata Akasuna sat beside him. Unfortunately, she didn't seem so content with the arrangement. She pushed her chair to the end of the desk and leaned away from him.

Gaara scooted in the opposite direction and looked away. The lesson was, again, something he had already covered in Suna. He stared away from the stiff form of his angel. He detested how sharp it stung him. Avoidance had been a regular occurrence in Suna; but he didn't like _her_ avoiding him. She didn't even know him.

Every single minute of the class pulled out as Mr. Umino explained a bunch of diagrams. Gaara attempted to ignore Hinata Akasuna. But every time she even so much as shifted, his attention zoned in on her. Halfway through class, Hinata pulled her hair tie out and shook her head to make her hair cascade around her shoulders. Gaara's senses were almost destroyed as he was hit with an overbearing waft of her scent. She smelled like baby lotion mixed with a variety of wild berries, spring leaves, and the baking heat of the Suna sun (if it had a smell). Gaara started feeling woozy after the next ten minutes. Color of the lightest pink flooded her cheeks.

Gaara slammed his head into the desk with an audible groan. How would he know whether Hinata Akasuna was blushing if he wasn't _looking_ at her? He heard a snicker and peeked under his folded arms at the source: Sasuke Akasuna. He and Sakura Akasuna were both staring at him amused. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Hinata. Gaara glanced at her as she blushed darker and through a reproving glare back at him.

The bell rang. Gaara sat up and glanced over at the seat beside him. Hinata had disappeared along with her siblings out the door before anyone else had gotten out their seats. His eyes narrowed.

"Uh oh, who made your hitlist," Naruto chuckled behind him. Gaara looked up; Naruto had forced a grin on his face.

"What's going on with Jiraiya," Gaara asked, following Naruto out of the main school building. Before Naruto could reply, the air was filled with cheers as snow danced lazily out of the sky. Gaara scowled. "My life just gets worse and worse."

"What are you talking about, Gaara," Naruto laughed, catching a few snow flurries in his hand; all of them instantly melted. "Snow is much dryer than rain, right? It's more fun to play in, too."

The snow cheered Naruto up out of his mysterious depressed mood. He excitedly discussed plans for a grand snowball fight afterschool (something Gaara planned to avoid) since the snow looked like it would stick.

Gym sucked. Gaara was forced into a uniform and pushed onto the volleyball court as he had predicted. Naruto attempted to cover both of their spots, but he was no Lee. Gaara managed to hit two teammates in the head with the ball, and on his serve, he popped Sakura Akasuna right in the back of her pink hair on the _other_ volleyball court. He was distracted numerous times by the Akasunas' game. The three siblings were their own team against six other nervous classmates. They were in the lead by twenty points; Gaara was certain it had something to do with the Akasunas' flashes of skin. The gym shorts looked too short on their long, athletic legs that all looked attractive and every time Sakura jumped to hit the ball, her shirt traveled an inch up, revealing her snow white tummy for the briefest of seconds. Gaara got hit in the head twice because he was looking in the wrong direction.

* * *

Gaara took his time getting dressed so he would be the last person to leave the gym. He held a binder in his hand to use as a shield if the snowball fight wasn't over. As he stepped out the gym doors, he scowled as he saw teachers joining in with the students to throw snowballs. Naruto looked like a snowman. Gaara hurried into the parking lot and into Temari's Cadillac. He watched the fight going on around him. His attention was captured by the Akasunas.

Their snowball fight looked like a scene from a Hollywood movie. Their skin was the same white as the snow-they looked like living snowmen with makeovers. They danced through the snow drifts and between cars while hurdling snow at each other. Sasuke dodged most of the snowballs hurled his way; his main aim targeted Neji whose hair had come out of its neat ponytail during the battle. TenTen backed him up and got Sakura and Hinata easily. Hinata was the second driest out of them.

Temari plopped into the driver seat, dripping with snow. Gaara leaned away and ignored the Akasunas. His sister was in a dazzlingly bright mood. She went upstairs to shower while Gaara dumped her bags on the sofa. He then headed upstairs to change into warmer clothes. He laid out on his bed and pulled his CD player towards him. Homework would be a breeze later.

Gaara closed his eyes and let the scenes of the Akasunas' snowball fight dance through his mind. They had looked like glorious aliens in their native land. All of their cheeks had been flushed with energy, and excitement had shone brightly from their eyes.

* * *

Naruto didn't come to school the next day. The snow had thankfully washed away overnight. To Gaara's chagrin, it looked like it would snow again. Gaara hoped that Naruto had just caught a cold from messing around in the snow and that nothing was really wrong with him or Jiraiya. He looked over at the Akasunas again at lunch. They were conversing amongst themselves with serious looks.

Gaara went to class early. He sat down at the far edge of the table, remembering that Hinata had something against him. He doodled in his notebook since he wasn't using it for notes. He didn't even notice the classroom filling up or the tardy bell ringing.

"Are those…me," Hinata asked, tilting her head to look at the doodles without leaning closer to him.

Gaara's cheeks heated up slightly and he quickly erased the doodles of angels with wings and short dresses. Hinata's cheeks turned pink as well as she took his erasing as confirmation. Great. Now, she had a reason to avoid him like a pariah.

Mr. Umino passed out slides and microscopes for the day's assignment. Hinata slipped the first slide in and quickly wrote down a phase. Gaara stared at her elegant script until she pushed the microscope towards him.

"Do you want to do the next one?" Hinata offered a hesitant, small smile. Her cheeks were tinged pink again, and all Gaara could do was stare at her. She frowned slightly. "Or I could do the next one…"

"I can do it," Gaara pulled the microscope towards him and slipped in the second slide. He peered through the lens and made a quick assessment. "Prophase."

"Can I check," Hinata asked sweetly. He made the mistake of looking at her and his annoyance at being questioned dissolved. She made an even quicker assessment before writing down prophase. She slipped the third slide in. "Anaphase."

Gaara finished them up with the last slide (this time Hinata didn't check behind him); the rest of the class (excluding the other Akasunas) was still puzzling over theirs. Gaara opened his notebook again and concentrated as he sketched scenes from Suna. He made certain to keep his hand from drawing Hinata again.

"You are a really good artist," Hinata complimented him. She still sat as far as possible from him, but was turned towards him. Her eyes were warm and friendly instead of hostile. "Did you take art classes in Suna?"

"How do you know that I came from Suna," Gaara asked, paranoid. He was pretty certain that he had never mentioned coming from Suna to anyone here but Naruto and Lee.

"Everyone knows," Hinata replied, surprised. "Whenever anyone new comes, the whole school knows everything about him by the end of the first week. So, did you?"

"Yeah," he replied reluctantly. He turned slightly towards her, but kept his distance. She reached across the table to pull his notebook towards her to study the sketches more closely. He stared at her perfect hand. Her nails slightly glittered and he wondered if she was wearing the clear nail polish that Temari had sitting on her dresser.

"You could make a lot of money as an artist," Hinata smiled at him. Gaara was overwhelmed with her scent as she pulled her hair back over her shoulder. "Sasori makes thousands."

"Sasori? Is he your foster dad?" He leaned away slightly and clenched his hands.

"Yes. You remind me a lot of him." Hinata glanced down at his fists briefly. "He's a loner."

"Why does he have so many foster kids then," Gaara asked. Hinata bit her lower lip lightly. He stared at her round, glossy lips that looked very soft from this angle.

Hinata inhaled sharply and leant away. Gaara realized he had tilted towards her and pulled back as well. He glanced over at the other Akasunas who were staring at him. He put his head down on his arms and sighed. He was seriously taking on all the signs of a stalker.

* * *

It was snowing again as Temari and Gaara headed home. Temari pulled up into the driveway behind Shikamaru's cruiser and Shikato's beat-up truck. Gaara groaned as they stepped into the house and heard Yoshino nagging at Shikato and Shikamaru.

"What happened," Temari gasped as she hurried to Shikamaru's side. He sat on the couch with his bandaged right arm laid out along the arm of the sofa. Gaara could smell the dry blood.

"A troublesome hijacker," Shikamaru answered. Temari sat on his other side while Yoshino shot disapproving looks from the kitchen where she was washing Shikamaru's police uniform by hand in the sink. "We didn't even catch the man. Asuma's cruiser is totaled."

"What happened to you," Temari clarified

"The guy had a gun," Shikato sighed heavily. "You see Shikamaru's windshield? It's riddled good."

"I was just grazed by a couple of bullets," Shikamaru told Temari to a loud scoff from the kitchen. "Dr. Akasuna had me stitched up in less than five minutes. She was able to finish up with Asuma in ten, and he has a broken leg and several gashes."

"You shouldn't even go back to work until those stitches come out." Yoshino looked at Temari for support. Shikato and Shikamaru sighed; they clearly had been discussing the subject when Temari and Gaara had walked in. "You can't take on a crazed lunatic when your right arm is a disability."

"We can't afford to just skedaddle," Shikamaru told her firmly. "Asuma's in the hospital, and Kurenai is pregnant-she can't do anything but desk work. Choji hasn't fully passed his test yet. I have to go back in tomorrow."

"Yoshino, the hijacker is likely hundreds of miles away by now," Shikato tried to soothe his wife. "What are the chances he come back to the crime scene?"

"I agree with them, Yoshino," Temari said softly. Shikamaru wrapped his good arm around her waist in thanks. She didn't look up at Yoshino whose face hardened at her words. Yoshino threw the uniform in the dryer and left.

"She'll come around," Shikato clapped Shikamaru on the shoulder although his words were directed at Temari. He nodded at Gaara before leaving.

"I need to get started on dinner," Temari stood up and headed into the kitchen. Shikamaru turned the TV onto a baseball game.

Gaara slipped into the kitchen. He knew that Temari agreed wholeheartedly with Yoshino; but she had been willing to make the sacrifice to keep the town safe. Gaara put his hand on Temari's shoulder.

"Nothing's going to happen to Shikamaru, Temari," Gaara promised her quietly. "Nothing happens in Amega. This will probably fall to the back of everyone's mind by the end of the month."

"I know, Gaara," Temari sighed. She gave him a grateful smile. "You might as well make plans for the weekend, though. I don't think we're exactly welcomed down on the farm for now."

"Can I call Naruto right now," Gaara asked as he recalled Naruto's absence. He worried for the blonde's safety.

Gaara took the cordless phone upstairs to his room and shut the door. He sat crisscrossed on his bed while the phone rang. After the fifth ring, Naruto picked up with a muffled hello.

"You didn't come to school today," Gaara told him, silently demanding an explanation.

"Sorry," Naruto apologized sheepishly. "Jiraiya demanded I stay home today and cleaned my room. Hey, uh, how's Shikamaru and Asuma?"

"Fine. When did you find out," Gaara asked, not believing Naruto's excuse.

"An hour ago," Naruto explained then lowered his voice. "Something fishy is going on, Gaara. Some older kids down here attempted to help the police in their chase. They seemed frustrated that they didn't catch the guy, but it's Jiraiya who seemed the most disappointed. He seemed to know that something was going to happen today."

"Are you sure you're not imagining things," Gaara asked, frowning. Naruto sounded anxious and completely serious. "Did you ask Jiraiya?"

"He waved me off," Naruto replied annoyed. "He's so annoying sometimes!"

"We can talk about this tomorrow," Gaara told him. "I take it you're not allowed to tell me any of this?"

"Fine. See you tomorrow, Gaara," Naruto said cheerfully in his normal voice. He hung up quickly.

Gaara stared at the phone with a frown. He wondered if there was more to the case than just an armed hijacker. It was starting to look just as serious as Yoshino was painting it. He went downstairs and hung up the phone. He ate dinner quickly before taking a shower and getting into bed early. He reached over into his bookbag and pulled out his sleeping pills. He would need energy to think about this problem tomorrow without exhausting dreams of the luminous Hinata or bloody scenes of the police chase.

* * *

**Please point out any typos or errors I missed during editing. Con-crit is welcomed.**


	4. Connection

**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Twilight's plot belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

**SO FAR: **_Gaara interacts with Hinata for the first time; Shikamaru gets injured in a dangerous car chase, and Naruto frets over his village's mysterious involvement in it._

* * *

**Angelic Demons: Love**

**By BriiDream**

Chapter Four: Connection

Naruto didn't come to school the next day. Gaara wondered if Jiraiya was holding him hostage-from what he remembered of his summer visits, Naruto was never sick. Gaara frowned as he thought about what Naruto had said about the reaction of the other Konoha residents.

Konoha was an old settlement, far older than Amega. It had been established by two peaceful clans, and the village kept to itself until a few decades ago. The government didn't recognize it as an individual town from Amega, so Konoha was forced to converge with Amega to keep on existing. The schools were the main place where the Konoha children interacted with the kids of Amega. Konoha was behind with the culture and technology. Gaara knew that the main source of parties was the bonfire gatherings. They were primitive with their storytelling and barbecue compared to the stereo music and large buildings of modern day. Konoha was also a superstitious group. They did as they pleased, ignoring Shikamaru and the other Amega police's authorities. Gaara snorted-he could understand the laughing at Shikamaru's authority.

"Good morning, Gaara," Lee smiled, slightly out of breath. He came to a stop beside Gaara. His hair was soaked with the rain. "Where is Naruto?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," He grumbled, stepping into the lunch line and leaning away from the dripping older boy. "He said he was coming today."

"I hope nothing is wrong," Lee frowned and glanced across the cafeteria, which was even louder than usual as people talked about the car chase. "The police still didn't catch that maniac."

"Why does everyone think the fool would return to the crime scene," Gaara asked, annoyed. "The guy's miles away. Drop it."

"If you insist," Lee shrugged. He heaped his tray full with green vegetables that looked like they were plucked from outside the school building. He looked at Gaara's donut and exclaimed in dismay, "You're going to kill yourself! Why aren't you eating a balanced meal?"

"Because it's not the most important meal of the day," Gaara headed to their usual table. Ino and her friends were squealing over something hidden from his view. He sat a couple of seats from them. His eyes roamed his English assignment. Essays were not his forte.

Gaara casually glanced at the Akasunas' table. None of them had showed up today. He frowned; his gut instinct was telling him that it was strange that neither the Akasunas nor Naruto had showed up to school. Of course, in a school this size and in town with such abysmal weather, it wasn't surprising that anyone was out sick; but the entire Akasuna family at one time?

* * *

Gaara was dropped off in the driveway, so Temari could go pick Shikamaru up from the police station. Shikamaru's police cruiser had been dropped off at the mechanic's shop in Kiri that morning. The mechanic told them not to expect anything done until after the weekend. Therefore, Shikamaru decided to take the weekend off so not to have to share Temari's Cadillac. That would please Yoshino Nara at least.

Gaara went upstairs to his bedroom and turned the computer on. While it rebooted, he went downstairs and grabbed a bag of chips from the pantry. He picked up the soggy mail off the table and glanced through them. Most were simply bills. He wondered what Temari's social life was like. Shikamaru had all his friends in one town, but Gaara found it hard to believe his sister would be able to relate to Shikamaru's friends any better than she did to her in-laws.

There was no personal letters for Temari at all. There was a heavy one from the state uni, obviously her college work. Gaara quickly placed the mail back in order and on the table before heading back upstairs. While he waited for the search engine to pop up, he pulled out his English essay again to attempt to finish. He really didn't want to waste the weekend on it. Gaara searched promising websites with great information on various classics. He copied a few things and added them to his essay in varying places.

He logged on to his e-mail account, deleted all the junk mail, and opened an e-mail from Kankuro. It was short-simply stating that the band was going on the road Sunday morning. He also asked if Gaara was still in a sane mind. Gaara sent a simple reply back (stating his sanity was more or less the same since he left). He shut the computer down afterwards and finished the first part of his essay. He then went downstairs to await the return of Temari and Shikamaru who should have been back a half hour ago. He glanced out the window at the slanting sleet that pounded the house. It would be hard to drive through, but it couldn't possibly take forty-five minutes to complete a twenty-minute drive.

Gaara grabbed the phone and searched through the numerous sticky notes on the refrigerator for the one Temari put up a couple years ago for him with emergency numbers. He finally found it behind a recipe for potato soup and dialed the number to the police station.

"_Amega Police Station-What's your emergency?"_

"Shouldn't you have a little bit more concern in your tone?"

_"Gaara? Is something wrong?"_

Gaara wondered if he should tell her that something fishy was going down in Konoha and the Akasunas were too perfect to be humans. Of course, he went with his original purpose of calling the police station: "Is Shikamaru and Temari still there?"

_"No, they left a half hour ago. Were they stopping anywhere else?" _This time Kurenai's voice held concern.

"No…Thank you," Gaara forced the foreign words off his lips while his mind raced ahead of mundane human manners. "They probably stopped by Shikamaru's parents'. Bye."

He hung up before she could say anything else to him. He ran his fingers through his messy red hair as he racing thoughts organized. He didn't want to worry if there was no reason. Kankuro used to make extra stops all the time in Suna when Gaara lived with him. Sometimes, he wouldn't be back for an entire night. He shouldn't freak out that they were _twenty_ minutes late from what Kurenai estimated.

Gaara dialed Naruto's number and waited against the counter. No one picked up. He frowned, but hung up. He didn't think Jiraiya would be involved in anything illegal that might harmed him or Naruto; but just to be sure, he planned to go down to Konoha this weekend if the blonde didn't show up to school tomorrow. Gaara jumped when he heard the front door slam open-he hadn't even heard a car.

"Overreacted! You think I _overreacted_," Temari screamed, whirling around in the doorway. Gaara didn't move into the living room, choosing to assess the situation from the kitchen's threshold before approaching the scene. "Screw you, Shikamaru! Screw your whole family!"

"Temari, they didn't mean it as an insult," Shikamaru's voice was slightly muffled by the pounding rain and he was somewhat quieter than Temari. "You know things are slightly different from the city culture-"

"Different?" Temari's voice went up an octave. Gaara wondered if Shikamaru had enough sense in his smart head to not reply to Temari. "I don't give a **** what they meant by it-it was an insult to _me_!"

"You're making a big deal out of nothing," Shikamaru shot back. Before Gaara could even comprehend the utter stupidity of Shikamaru backtalking, Temari slapped Shikamaru across the face. Shikamaru grabbed both of her wrists when she went to hit him again. He gave her a rough shake and snapped sharply, "Don't you dare hit me again-I got enough of that on the ride back!"

"Let go of her," Gaara spoke in a low tone that carried across the room easily despite the drumming rain. His jade eyes snapped dangerously. Shikamaru let go of Temari.

"I don't need you to ****in' defend me," Temari whirled around and shrieked at Gaara. She angrily stormed up the stairs. She swiped her arm down the wall knocking down several picture frames that shattered as they fell down the stairs. "I can take care of myself just fine! I don't need to put up with this! I was plain sick of it when I was in that *******'s house, and I don't deserve to put up with it now!"

Gaara heard Temari slam her bedroom door and continue her rampage up there, likely destroying everything her hands grasped. His face remained blank and his eyes empty as it had been since she had turned her anger on him. He slowly stopped hearing Temari upstairs and didn't pay attention to Shikamaru who brushed past him while wiping at several cuts on his face. His whole body went numb; he didn't even notice his legs carrying him out of the open door into the rainy dark. Gaara pulled his hood up and continued to walk down to the road and away from the house.

It was dark and wet. He slipped up a few times, but kept down the road blindly. He had to walk off the numbness. He barely felt the stinging iciness of the sleet or the numerous scrapes on his hands from where he caught himself on the few slips that brought him completely to the ground. It was more than ten minutes later when he stopped moving; the numbness evaporated (or more correctly, disappeared), no longer shielding his body from the outside world. He shuddered and his teeth clenched; he was drenched from head to toe; and he had no clue where he was.

Gaara looked over his shoulder doubtfully. It looked like it would lead him farther away from civilization, but so did the way in front of him. He couldn't remember if he had kept going in a straight direction or had gotten confused when he stood up from one of his falls. It had happened before in Suna.

_Gaara glanced around himself. He shivered and whimpered as the rain continued to pour down on him from ominous clouds from above. The rain wasn't cold like bathwater; the air was still warm like a usual evening. He stumbled down the empty street-everyone else had taken refuge in the dry buildings._

_He was scared-he couldn't remember how he had gotten here. All he remembered was being at the park, which could have been who knows how long ago. He didn't like the rain-it wasn't just water falling from the sky and turning the dry, warm sand into mush. There were also bright flashes of light and loud booms just like when Father came home angry-_

_The sky lit up and Gaara's scream was drowned out by the clap of thunder that made even the windows of the cars parked along the curb vibrate. Gaara clutched his ears and shut his eyes. He slipped on the wet pavement and fell backwards._

_"Gaara!"_

_Gaara's eyes shot open as stronger arms caught him mid-fall. He squinted up through the rain at the concerned violet eyes that stared down at him from the pale face with blonde hair that curtained around his head from the rain. Gaara was lifted up to the man's chest. His fingers dug into the thin jacket as the man carefully held him close enough to whisper into his ear._

_"What are you doing out here, Gaara," Yashamaru asked worriedly. "You'll get a cold. Let's get inside."_

_"Yashamaru," Gaara breathed in relief. He pressed his face into Yashamaru's shirt. Yashamaru barely jostled him as he jogged for cover. He was warm and smelled like the usual baking clay of the house…and strongly of blood…_

Gaara gasped, suddenly being yanked out of memories as the scent of human blood became too strong to be imagined. He was shivering in the pouring down rain on some road twisting through the trees surrounding and merging with Amega. Yet, the smell of human blood was stronger than if he was standing beside someone bleeding.

Gaara glanced into the woods around him. He edged uneasily towards the center of the road. He knew that Amega had a lot of large predators, although no one ever mention people being eaten by them. The human blood was so strong that Gaara squinted down at the ground at his wet hands, imagining that it was blood drenching him, not water.

Gaara froze when he heard a growl from the woods, just loud enough to be heard over the rain. He looked up in horror at the dark wall of trees. The smell of human blood became stronger. Gaara scrambled backwards on the soaked pavement. His tennis shoes were worn and had no friction against the road. He slipped up and the pavement slammed into the back of his head faster than he thought possible. Lights flashed before his eyes; it took him more than thirty seconds to realize they were the headlights of a car.

Tires squealed as whoever braked to a halt, sliding within inches of Gaara's defenseless body. He gasped and sat up. His head thudded with pain. Gaara stared at the vehicle that could have so easily run him over. His heart pounded wildly against his chest as if he was running a marathon.

"Gaara!" He glanced up as he heard the familiar cry. Temari dropped down beside him and grabbed his shoulders. "I almost hit you! You shouldn't have run off like that. Are you hurt?"

He would have normally shrugged her off; this time he let her help him stand up and get in the car. He felt strangely exhausted and detached from his body. Temari got into the driver's seat and turned the vehicle around. He had been going in the wrong direction.

"Gaara? Gaara, listen to me," Temari pleaded with him. He looked over at her, but his eyesight was beginning to blur. He was shivering uncontrollably now, even though Temari had the heater turned all the way up. "Gaara, I'm taking you to the hospital. I think you have a concussion."

"N-n-n-no," Gaara forced through his clenched teeth. He didn't hear Temari's reply before he fell into the dark, cold abyss of his mind.

* * *

Gaara knew he was in a hospital. The bed wasn't comfortable; the air smelled too much like pine sol mixed with bleach; he heard the clack-clack of female nurses and doctors who seemed not to care that high heels weren't suitable for a place of sickness and dying. His head was throbbing with pain, but he wasn't cold or drenched anymore.

He heard people heading towards him and opened his eyes. Temari was the first to reach him, followed by a very beautiful, busty blonde. The slightly older woman had beautifully pale, smooth skin that glimmered slightly in the fluorescent light.

"Mrs. Akasuna," Gaara recalled Lee mentioning that the Akasunas' foster mother was a doctor. She was just as inhumanly beautiful as they were. Funny, how similar the foster kids and parents were to each other.

"Dr. Akasuna," the blonde corrected with a slight smile. She took a file out from beside his cot while he looked around at the long emergency room that was surprisingly empty. "How do you feel, Gaara? Your sister here thinks you might have had one fall too many."

"What?" He followed their shared glance to his bandaged hands. "Oh, right."

"You shouldn't have wandered off from town," Dr. Akasuna reprimanded him. "Thankfully, we were able to bring your temperature up before you could fall farther into hypothermia and you now just have a minor concussion. I think it best if you stay home tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am," Gaara replied. He finally noticed that the dry clothes he was wearing weren't his own nor the despicable hospital gown. "Whose are these?"

"They're Sasuke's," Dr. Akasuna replied even though he had directed his question at Temari. "I thought you wouldn't like to wear the hospital gown while you waited for your clothes to be laundered."

"Thanks," Gaara replied awkwardly.

"You're welcome."

Both Temari and Gaara glanced back startled at Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata Akasuna. Sasuke smirked and nodded at Gaara. Gaara inwardly groaned when he realized that the chance Sasuke happened to keep an extra set of clothes at the hospital was highly unlikely. His attention was quickly diverted by Hinata. Concern was etched across her face. Her eyes were also alighted with a strange intensity-like anger. How spectacular, an enraged angel of destruction.

"There was an animal," Gaara remembered suddenly as he stared into Hinata's eyes. He ripped his eyes from hers to look at Temari and Dr. Akasuna. "There's something large out there. It killed or maimed something human."

"What," Temari gasped. "What was it, Gaara?"

"I don't know," Gaara said uncomfortably. All four Akasunas had fixed their sharp eyes on him. "I didn't get a good look. But I heard it, and smelled the blood."

"How are you so sure that it was human blood," Sasuke asked, curious. "It could have been some dog or cat that got eaten."

"The smell of blood was too strong to have just come from one small animal," Gaara replied impatiently. He didn't mention that he knew by the smell it was human blood. They would try to put him in the psycho ward.

"Well then," Dr. Akasuna said briskly. She nodded at her kids who turned and left (Gaara noticed Hinata hesitate behind them). "We'll report it in the morning, but with that nasty car chase, we hardly have anyone to go looking for a dead body or animal."

"I want to go home," Gaara told Temari. A wave of fatigue threatened to make him pass out while Dr. Akasuna was still speaking. He no longer cared about any injuries or killer animals or Temari's argument with Shikamaru.

"That's alright," Dr. Akasuna intervened before Temari could protest. "Just wake him up every hour to make sure he's alright. I'll have Hinata drop his clothes off tomorrow."

Hinata smiled at Gaara. Gaara was slightly more awake at the mention of her. He smiled uncertainly back. Hinata turned her head as if she was called. She waved goodbye to him before gliding over to Sakura and Sasuke who waited for her at the door of the ER.

"Come on then." Temari took the release papers from Dr. Akasuna. They dropped the papers with the receptionist then slipped outside. The rain was no longer drowning the world, although it was still enough to soak.

Gaara drifted in and out of consciousness. Temari helped him up the stairs. He didn't remember falling into bed or her pulling the blankets over him. He was in a dark abyss. It was dark, nothing; yet, he was running from something. Suddenly, cold, icy hands closed around his neck. He jerked awake.

"Are you alright," Shikamaru asked leaning over Gaara's bed. It was still dark in his room. Gaara glanced at his clock-only three in the morning. "Temari said you were having nightmares before."

"I'm fine." He sat up, running his fingers through his sweat-drenched hair in disgust. "What about you and Temari?"

"It was just a minor disagreement," Shikamaru sighed heading for the door. "Try to sleep again."

Gaara decided not to pester him. Shikamaru shut the door behind him. Gaara couldn't recall any arguments that had gotten physical during his summer visits. He frowned-he wasn't sure how he felt about a potential break in Temari's five-year-old marriage. He and Kankuro had long ago accepted that Shikamaru wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He didn't like when his little world of consistency was thrown out of balance.

Gaara groaned, and lay back in bed. Temari was a grown woman, just like Kankuro was a grown man. He shouldn't have to sort out their problems. His mind turned back to his nightmare. He was sure in most of the nightmare that it was the animal chasing him, yet it was some_one_ who had grabbed him. His eyelids drooped again. A concussion did a better job than his sleeping pills. He should try to slam his head into the paved road more often. As he slipped into unconsciousness, Hinata flitted through his mind.

He suddenly realized who it was that chased him.

* * *

**7/30/10 Editted.**

**I hope this wasn't confusing. A lot of things happened out of order in this chapter.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Confronting the Legends

**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto; Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

**SO FAR: **_Gaara is distracted from his concern for Naruto by a wild animal that almost attacked him; Shikamaru and Temari are having problems; Gaara gets one step closer to the Akasunas' secret through a concussion._

* * *

**Angelic Demons: Love**

**By BriiDream**

Chapter Five: Confronting the Legends

Gaara stared blankly at the television screen. He sat criss-crossed on the couch with an empty bowl beside him. He had been in the same position for the past two hours. Gaara had had plenty of days out of school in Suna-he had hung around at the local playground; rented movies to watch; walked several blocks; and even, caught a bus to a free concert five hours away. When he didn't feel like that, he simply sat on the steps outside the house, sunbathing and eating cartons of ice cream.

He couldn't do any of that here in Amega. There was no playground as no child would play out in the middle of a thunderstorm. The nearest movie rental was in Kiri, which was a two-hour drive away. There was no free transportation like buses or taxis around here. There was no sun to bask in. No wonder Amega High School had such a high attendance record-there was nothing to tempt students away.

A knock at the door drew his attention away from the 5th rerun of some '70's sitcom. No one knocked at the door; they simply walked in. The knock came again five minutes later. Gaara sighed as he stood up and stretched before opening the door. He expected to see some nosy neighbor asking for sugar or some other house item they didn't have the energy to go buy at the store. He did not expect to see the beautiful angel Hinata Akasuna standing on his doorstep in a dripping raincoat.

"Hello," Hinata smiled shyly, her beautiful cheeks decorated in a naturally adorable blush. She shifted the textbooks in her arms self-consciously. "I just wanted to make sure you were feeling well. S-So?"

It took Gaara several noticeable seconds to realize that she was waiting for a reply. His cheeks flushed slightly (one of the rare, accursed times) as he replied, "I'm fine. Do you want to, err, come in?"

Gaara wasn't a host. He had no idea how to do this type of thing. As she stepped into the hall, Gaara bit back on a moan as her overwhelming scent overpowered him. He wondered what type of perfume she was using and how to suggest her toning it down a bit. He glanced outside carefully before shutting the door. Hinata had already removed her raincoat and now sat in the kitchen with her books piled on the table. She wore a thin, sleeveless top with a denim skirt. Gaara dragged his eyes away from her body when he felt her own eyes staring at him.

"So," Gaara stopped and looked away. He had nothing to say, therefore he should keep his mouth shut.

"Temari didn't get home yet," Hinata offered up in place of the awkward silence. She looked around the kitchen.

"She went to pick Shikamaru up," Gaara answered quietly. "They won't be here for another ten minutes, probably."

Hinata studied him for several minutes. Gaara was conscious of his knotted hair, the dark circles around his eyes, and the wrinkled Disney World T-shirt he was wearing. He sat down in the chair opposite Hinata so she couldn't give the same scrutiny to his sweats with holes and coffee stains.

"You went to Disney World?"

"No, it's Temari's," Gaara replied, hoping she wouldn't press the issue.

"Your friends missed you," Hinata changed the subject swiftly. Gaara looked up in surprise. She smiled back at him. "Ino and Lee seemed very concerned. They were thinking about visiting you."

"Naruto wasn't at school," Gaara muttered more to himself than to her. He was sure something bad must have happened.

"No, he wasn't." Gaara glanced up, curious at her guarded tone. It sounded like she wished he hadn't made the connection. She stared him in the eyes; his mind was befuddled swiftly. "Gaara, I was wondering if you would like-"

"Gaara, I got you your next prescription-oh." Temari stopped in the kitchen doorway as she spied Hinata and him hastily pull out of their leaning positions over the table. Her eyes darted between Hinata's slightly red face and his closed one before narrowing. "I didn't expect any company tonight."

"I was just dropping off Gaara's clothes," Hinata explained, pushing a neatly folded pile of clothes that magically appeared out of nowhere over to Gaara. She stood up and picked her books up in one sharp motion. "I have to go now. I'll see you in school Monday, Gaara."

"Bye," Gaara replied moodily. He really wanted Hinata to finish whatever proposal she had been making. There were a lot of things he would like to do, especially with a certain inhuman beauty. He called out just as she slipped out of the door. "I'll bring Sasuke's clothes to school Monday."

"Okay!" Her voice sounded like bells, alluring him to follow. Shikamaru came into the kitchen with raised eyebrows, pulling Gaara sharply back to Earth.

"I didn't know you were such good friends with Dr. Akasuna's daughter," Shikamaru said nonchalantly as Temari opened the cabinets too noisily.

"We're not," Gaara's eyes narrowed. He grabbed his clothes and scraped the chair back to leave. "We only said a few words to each other."

"So, what were you talking about right now," Temari grinned coyly. "So close and all?"

"Stuff," Gaara bristled. Truthfully, he couldn't recall any of their conversation except the interrupted proposal at the moment. "I'm going to put my clothes in my room."

"One word of advice, Romeo," Shikamaru held out of his hand to stop Gaara from escaping. "Be careful with her brothers. They can be quite aggressive when it comes to their little sister."

Gaara pushed past without speaking. He didn't need advice on some imagined romance. And who didn't know to avoid the terrifying Akasuna boys? Gaara headed upstairs. He held his clothes to his face for a minute. They felt like they just returned from a dry cleaner (which Amega had no such thing); they also smell faintly of Hinata. He deposited them on his bed instead of his dresser.

"Hey Gaara," Temari called up the stairs. He groaned, but went to the top of the staircase. "We're going down to the Naras tomorrow morning. Have you created plans for the weekend?"

"You all get over grudges too quickly," he muttered. Temari waited patiently for an actual response. "Can you drop me off at Konoha?"

She nodded and returned to the kitchen. Gaara leaned against the wall for a minute before returning to his bedroom. Tomorrow, he was going to confront Naruto.

* * *

Gaara slipped out of the backseat of the Cadillac onto the muddy path leading up to the small cabin. It wasn't a real cabin; the title was Naruto's idea to spice things up. The 'second floor' was more half a loft. Naruto's bed and dresser was squeezed behind a thin rail that kept Naruto from falling into the combined kitchen and living room. No one taller than 5'6 could stand straight up in Naruto's bedroom. Downstairs was the bathroom, living room/kitchen, and Jiraiya's bedroom.

"We'll pick you up at two," Temari called through her window. Gaara nodded and headed up the path to the small porch. He listened to Temari pull away before knocking on the door.

"Why hello, Gaara," Jiraiya opened the door and stared with raised eyebrows. He wore a loosely tied bathrobe that stopped at his knees. "'Didn't know you were stopping by."

"Last minute," Gaara slipped past Jiraiya easily. He glanced around the messy cabin, then up at the railing where he could make out Naruto's bright orange t-shirt. He easily found the ladder that led up to the loft. He ignored Jiraiya's grumbling as the older man simply returned to his own bedroom. Gaara kept on his knees in the loft. He hadn't gotten to the height limit. Still, it was best not to risk it. He shook Naruto hard by the shoulder.

"What? What?" Naruto pulled his pillow over his head. "I'll eat later."

"Get up, idiot," Gaara hissed, pinching Naruto's bare arm sharply. Naruto yelped and shot up in bed. Gaara's eyes narrowed as he looked over the blonde. "You don't look sick."

"Gaara? What are you doing here," Naruto stared in amazement at him, still rubbing his arm.

"Checking to see if you were alive since someone was too important to answer my calls yesterday!"

Naruto cringed. He threw his blankets off and slid out of bed. His bowed posture tipped Gaara off that something was amiss. He followed the blonde back down the ladder. Naruto yanked open the refrigerator and grabbed two soda pops; he then led Gaara outside.

"Well," Gaara prodded in a bitter tone as he shut the door behind him. He despised worrying, especially when there was no cause. It didn't help his little sleep problem. "What's going on, Naruto?"

"Everybody is concerned about that hijacker," Naruto sighed, throwing Gaara a can. The slick bottle slipped right through Gaara's fingers and to the porch step. The lid popped off and sprayed soda everywhere. "Oops! Forgot about that!"

"Great." Gaara picked up the half-empty, cracked bottle. He dumped the rest out in the grass and threw it in the small trash bin on the porch. "Memory span as amazing as ever."

"Hey, I'm sorry I couldn't call you," Naruto whined. He glanced nervously at the house before heading down the steps to the road. "Everyone was antsy, and Jiraiya wanted me to stay home just to be safe. We were hardly home Thursday and Friday night-Jiraiya had town meetings."

"Sure, Naruto," Gaara followed at a slower pace. None of Konoha's roads were paved, therefore dangerous mudslides. He could tell Naruto was rambling, giving his lie away. Gaara frowned; Naruto hated lying, so what would drive him to the habit? "Where are we going?"

"The beach," Naruto grinned, offering his soda pop. Gaara took it for a quick sip. "The sun might pop out today."

Gaara sighed, but didn't attempt to push Naruto any farther on the subject of absence. Naruto was still barefoot having gone from bed to outside. He did at least wear a t-shirt and a wrinkled pair of cut-offs. Gaara wondered what time Naruto got in last night.

"Did you hear what happened the other night," Gaara asked Naruto, hoping it would lead Naruto onto the earlier subject without him realizing it. Naruto frowned as he led Gaara off the road. "About my visit to the hospital?"

"What happened," Naruto asked, walking into a tree trunk.

"I slipped on the wet pavement of a street," Gaara pushed a branch out of his way. He hated Naruto's 'shortcuts'-with Gaara in tow, it took just as long as it would on the winding, safer road. "I encountered an animal, though. Whatever it was, it had killed someone…or something."

"What? We didn't hear anything about that," Naruto exclaimed gradually taking the lead and holding branches out of the way. Gaara thankfully turned his attention to the dangerous roots and rocks below them. "That would have been mentioned at the town meeting."

"You pay attention to those things now," Gaara muttered skeptically under his breath. He was bothered that Naruto had heard nothing about it. Jiraiya would have told Naruto about a dangerous beast on the prowl. "The police station already has a report on it. No one should be in the woods-like we are now."

"We're not in the woods," Naruto scoffed, his furrowed brow vanishing as he laughed. "Konoha is far safer than Amega anyhow. That's probably why we haven't heard anything."

"I seriously doubt the thing carries a map with him," Gaara retorted, annoyed at how easily Naruto shrugged the danger off. "Unless you have barbed, electrified wired fence around the settlement (which I have never seen), than your people are at just as much risk as the rest of us."

"Chill, Gaara," Naruto raised his hands in peace. "We'll be fine. No one has ever gotten killed in, like ten years around here. And that wasn't even an animal attack."

Gaara closed his mouth. He was starting to sound like Yoshino Nara. The trees weren't as thick as the ones surrounding Amega. Many Konoha residents were experts at navigating the woods, and the forest seemed to have accepted them into its home.

"What happened ten years ago," Gaara asked. Naruto was unusually quiet today. He wondered if the blonde was simply trying to be careful with what he said.

"A boy was killed in a rockslide up near the Mountain," Naruto replied quietly.

Gaara stumbled and scraped his hands in a grove of thorns. He winced as he pulled his hands out. The smell of blood wafted up to him before he could even see the running fluid. Naruto pulled Gaara by the arm up the small hill to the road side once again. Gaara squinted as a sun ray shot from behind a cloud into his eyes. Across the road was the beach.

"I didn't know there were rockslides around here," Gaara said carefully, using his sweatshirt to mop up the small drops of blood before he could start hyperventilating. He concentrated hard on Naruto's blond hair turned golden in the sunlight.

"It was the only one that I know of," Naruto pulled a few old napkins out of his back pocket. He grabbed Gaara's hands and wrapped them the best he could. "Dang, do you think the water will help?"

"I don't need the extra sting. What exactly happened? Did the police find out the cause of the rockslide?"

"Somebody said that the boulders got loose from some heavy storms in the area. The area was decreed a hazard zone, and no one dared to go up there until everything had pretty much dried up."

"How old was the boy?"

"I think they said he was thirteen or something," Naruto drunk the last of the soda pop and threw it in a recycle bin as they headed to the shoreline. "No one really talks about it aloud. Kiba suggested that it might had been murder."

"Murder?" Gaara glanced over to the cliffs a mile down the beach. The cliffs rose twenty feet over the ocean, and above them was the Mountain. It was a rarity in the area, standing a good fifty miles from the ring of mountains that Gaara's plane had crossed south of Amega.

"Yeah," Naruto trailed off as they reached the edge of the waves. The sun broke fully away from the clouds and lit up the usually bleak beach. Gaara stood a few feet behind to avoid the sprays of freezing salt water. The ocean air was good compared to the heated air of the desert. Naruto whirled around to face Gaara. "Do you know anything about the Akasunas and Konoha's feud?"

"Feud?" Gaara was more skeptical about such a high-level word being in Naruto's vocabulary than the fact that there was something out there that didn't bow to the Akasunas' whim. "Like warring clans?"

"Exactly," Naruto nodded, his blue eyes solemn. "You know about many of the Konoha legends, right?"

"Let me guess, their ancestors fought with your ancestors and they're to blame for all your woes?"

"No, Gaara," Naruto rolled his eyes, grinning. The tense mood quickly broke. "One of our legends state that we all descended from spirits, everyone all over the world. The Konoha spirits were not like the other spirits who abandoned their solid descendants. The Konoha spirits continued to watch over their people, and eventually led them to here, our home. We lived freely for many years."

Naruto and Gaara had started walking as Gaara listened to the tale. He grabbed Naruto's arm so he could close his eyes and sunbathed at the same time.

"Then, enemy spirits arrived. They had taken on human forms, so to make their hunting on humans easier. They slaughtered half of Konoha. The Konoha spirits were enraged and merged with their human descendants to fight the enemy monsters. They defeated most of them, but one escaped. The new warriors continued to host the Konoha spirits in them and protected the people until their kids took over. Once in a blue moon, an enemy hunting defenseless humans would wander onto Konoha territory. Of course, we destroyed them in hopes that one day we would get the one that escaped us before."

"How heroic," Gaara murmured. He didn't believe the legend; it was utterly impossible. "How does this relate to your feud with the Akasunas? Are they descendants of that elusive enemy spirit you didn't killed?"

"Of course not," Naruto scoffed. "They can't die naturally, Gaara. They're beautiful immortals that prey upon people. Back when Jiraiya was a baby (hundred or so years ago), a large clan of them showed up. There weren't enough warriors to defend Konoha and destroy the clan. So, our leader made a treaty. As long as they didn't hunt anymore humans, we wouldn't wage war with them. The enemy clan agreed to the truce under the name Akasuna."

"I thought you said the Akasunas weren't descendants of your enemy," Gaara frowned.

"They're not, but they're the same type of creature," Naruto frowned as well. "It was confusing when Jiraiya explained it. The Akasunas today are the same clan from years ago."

"The Akasunas are your immortal, cannibal enemies?" The sun disappeared as Gaara tested the words on his tongue. The statement sounded stupid, but something inside Gaara flickered. "Do you seriously believe that?"

"No way," Naruto shouted indignantly, blushing. "But Jiraiya does, and he is using it as an excuse to hold me hostage. He thinks the "Enemy" had something to do with the car chase."

"All of them were in school, unlike you," Gaara pointed out the solid evidence defending them.

"Maybe they can be everywhere at once," Naruto shrugged. He grinned slyly at Gaara. "So, have you gotten anywhere with Hinata yet?"

"Excuse me," Gaara glared at the sassy blonde. "There is nothing between me and Hinata Akasuna. And didn't you just denounce her as some freaky witch?"

"Not a witch, Gaara," Naruto shook his head as he led Gaara to the road again. "Witches aren't sexy beauties that seduce their prey onto their dinner plate."

"Vampires." The word slipped off Gaara's tongue. He stopped in shock. Naruto didn't hear him and continued down the road. Gaara quickly hurried to his side.

As they walked down the muddy road, Gaara thought about what he had learned. Naruto hadn't specifically stated that the immortal enemy drunk blood, but 'vampire' definitely seemed to fit more with the stunning Akasunas.

"Hey boys!" Jiraiya pulled in his old truck. He braked beside them, and pushed their passenger door open. "Wanna ride into town?"

Naruto eagerly slipped into the middle. Gaara followed, and slammed the old door shut. Naruto babbled on about the beach at Jiraiya's prodding. Gaara's eyes met the old man's for a split second when Naruto leant forward to fiddle with the old radio. Gaara kept his face perfectly blank as normal; but he saw enough in Jiraiya's wary eyes to know that there was more to the simple legend Naruto told him. There was something about the Akasunas that had the Konoha people on guard; something connected with their legends, and the car chase of last week. Gaara planned to find out what precisely that something was.

* * *

**I wrote this during my two whole weeks of no-Internet. I hope you enjoyed this installment, and please point out any mistakes I might have overlooked.**


	6. Revealed Secrets, part 1

**Naruto does not belong to me, but to Masashi Kishimoto. The Twilight Saga belongs to Stephenie Meyer, who is obviously not me as well.**

**SO FAR: **_Hinata pays Gaara a visit, and Gaara listens to Konoha legends that give him further insight into the mysterious Akasunas._

* * *

**Angelic Demons: Love**

**By BriiDream**

Chapter Six: Revealed Secrets, Part 1

_Driip…drip…driip…_

Water ran down his window as the usual spring shower rested over Amega. Gaara lied indoors with a similar problem in the adjacent bathroom. Nearly everyone in Amega had their own wells; with so much rain, it was impossible to run dry. The problem was sometimes the pipes overflowed.

_Drip…driip…drip…_

Gaara sighed and threw his book on top of the bookshelf. He rolled over and stared at the ceiling. Although the leaking problem was chafing his nerves, he knew he was more agitated about the little theory he had developed over the weekend. Naruto's description of the legendary Akasunas and Jiraiya's obvious concerns about the real ones were turning his hazy theory of the Akasunas being vampires into a concrete concern.

_Drip…driip…drip…_

He stretched and headed over to the bathroom. Shikamaru was lying on his back under the sink with several tools around him. His fingers were greasy from where he kept trying to oil the various parts before tightening them together. His hair was soaked as was the rest of him from crawling under the house.

_Driip…drip…driip…_

"This is why we need," Shikamaru grunted as he wiggled from under the pipes so he could sit up, "an effing plumber in this town. That is what I should've gone into."

"I thought you'd want a plumber so you didn't have to crawl under there," Gaara questioned, leaning against the doorway.

"Get the phone, Gaara," Shikamaru mopped his face off on a towel. He grimaced at the grease stains his fingers left behind. "Dad made it look so easy."

_Drip…drip…driip…_

Gaara grabbed the telephone from the kitchen and glanced outside. The rain was coming down harder. It wouldn't take too long for a real thunderstorm to form. He wondered if Temari would make it back in time before being fully drenched.

Back upstairs, Shikamaru was under the pipes again. He reached up for the phone while keeping his hand steady on a loose knobby thing Gaara couldn't identify. The phone slipped through Shikamaru's greasy fingers; he twist to pick it up off the floor and his other hand slid off the knob which promptly fell away from the pipe. Gaara swore as icy water shot out all over him and Shikamaru. The phone clattered to the floor once again as Shikamaru used both hands to place the knob back in place.

"Hand me the tape."

Gaara yanked off a lengthy amount which Shikamaru wrapped around until the knob couldn't move and no water was able to seep out. He picked up the phone and dialed.

"The batteries are wet," Gaara stated unhelpfully. He grabbed a towel and threw it on the floor.

"Well, we're just going to have to wait until Temari gets home with the car. What are you doing anyway?"

"Nothing." He hesitated; Shikato had been close buddies with Jiraiya for years. "Have you heard any of the Konoha legends? Ones about their enemies?"

"What? About spirit warriors, right?" Shikamaru glanced at Gaara before heading downstairs with Gaara trailing behind. "Is that what has been bothering you?"

"I'm not bothered."

"I wouldn't believe any of it since it's scientifically impossible. Or did you make the connection to vampire lore?"

Gaara stopped in surprise. Shikamaru smirked at him. He went over to the sole bookshelf in the living room and pulled off a small black book and threw it over to him. He barely caught it.

"Some of those vampire tales kinda matched the Konoha legends," Shikamaru plopped down on the couch. "There was one in particular that I found interesting; your sister didn't."

"Thanks, Shikamaru."

Upstairs, Gaara sat crisscross on his bed. He noted vaguely that it had stopped raining outside. The book was smooth and thin. The spine cracked as he opened it. The table of contents listed myths from around the world-unsurprisingly, Konoha's wasn't listed.

The first legend spoke about the origins of Dracula; the next was the incubus; another was about a friendly vampire that killed a human by sucking blood out of her paper cut. The majority of the legends stuck with the no-sunlight rule, but there traits of fast speed and incredible beauty that kept consistent with the Akasunas. Of course, the most basic trait was the one the Akasunas lacked.

Gaara tossed the book onto his desk. Why did it even matter to him what they were? As long as he wasn't around when they went on a killing spree, he was just fine with being clueless. He jumped when the book hit the floor.

Grumbling and rubbing the goose bumps on his arm, he picked it up. Just as he was about to close it, he noticed a page had been ripped. He thumbed to that page and skimmed it. He stopped at the bottom to read the short legend:

'_Throughout human history, there have been legends that held similar ideas to each other, although the different cultures might not have met up for several more centuries. There have been recurring legends regarding the __**Redheaded Blood Tribe**__. The tribe was identifiable for the unnatural beauty and sheer translucency of skin of which the clan was gifted. The most recognizable feature was the blood-red hair that topped the majority. Several myths have claimed different reasons for the hair—the first Redhead was soaked in the blood of his entire village, and became perfectly stained. It symbolized the wild bloodlust that made the Redhead relevant to vampire lore._

_The Redhead has remained a very real threat to many third world countries, where a child born with red hair is often killed to avoid the continuation of the tribe. The Redhead frequently mated with humans—some would be dinner either later for themselves or the offspring or were granted immortality for their loyalty. The offspring often killed their human mothers at birth and would then drain the body of blood._

_The Redhead has appeared around the world. Some civilizations represented them with pictures of young, bloody children who killed without passion, whom no normal man could ever hope to hold their own against. The Redhead is a fascinating tale that could very well have been based off the common demon-possessed children of ancient times.' _

Gaara was certain that this was the tale Shikamaru had found interesting-it wasn't a shock why. Gaara pretty much fitted the entire description of the Redhead Child right up to killing his mother in childbirth. What a fitting tale; if any of his old classmates and teachers had gotten their hands on this, they would have likely used it to fuel his expulsion.

"I'm home! Shikamaru, Gaara, come here!"

This time, Gaara placed the book carefully on the desk before walking out of the room. In the kitchen, Temari was informing Shikamaru that the mechanic had contacted her and told her that they couldn't pick up his cruiser until Tuesday.

"You'll just have to wait," Temari stocked the pantry with the latest goods. "We can do our shopping in Kiri afterschool and just drive separately home. What did you do today, Gaara?"

"Was I supposed to be doing something?"

"How'd you like that book," Shikamaru smiled wryly.

"What book?" Temari glanced over at Shikamaru and stopped.

"The one on vampire lore," Gaara supplied. "Interesting."

He wasn't lying either. The Legend of the Redheads had the most similar traits to the Akasunas: beauty, pale skin, strength, and most likely speed (to murder an entire village who likely had other warriors). All the Akasunas lacked were bloodlust and red hair.

"Why did you show him that," Temari snapped at Shikamaru who shrugged (infuriatingly, Gaara noted).

"I'm not bothered by any of the myths, Temari," Gaara muttered darkly. "I'm not a little kid."

Temari bit her lower lip viciously. Gaara was mildly surprised she didn't break the skin. She turned sharply away from both of them. Shikamaru slipped off to the living room. Gaara hesitated, staring uncertainly at the back of her head, before going back upstairs.

_Driip…_

* * *

A beautiful angel danced before him in the most unassuming white gown. There were only stars glittering around her. She smiled at him with her blood-red lips. The scene changed to a forest, a familiar one to Gaara. She twirled like a ballerina; her scent overwhelmed him-a mixture of wild berries, baby lotion, and leaves. And something else that didn't register in his mind. He stumbled towards her, tripping over tree roots. Then the scent fully hit him-blood. It ran down her chin, down the front of her dress. Her blood-drenched hands touched her stomach as she stopped spinning. She stare down at his frozen body with pale, pupil less eyes consumed with feral bloodlust. He screamed as she lunged for him.

"Gaara! Gaara!"

He choked and shoved Temari away. His heart thumped erratically against his ribcage. He rubbed his face hard and took in his surroundings more carefully. He was lying on his bed, lamp still on, and the book flung against his dresser. Temari hovered in her pajamas, her hair unkempt. She bent down to snatch up the black hardback.

"This is why I didn't want you reading this."

"It was just one nightmare," Gaara muttered under breath. He got off the bed and yanked his top drawer open. Temari left with the collection of lore; he sighed, but didn't put up a fuss. His main objective now was the shower.

His room was lit up by early sunlight by the time the water was running cold. He glanced out his window at the early sunrise over the trees; it was the first he had ever seen in Amega. He yanked a comb through his hair before heading downstairs to fried eggs and coffee with Temari and Shikamaru, who was making plans over the phone to get drop off at the station.

"Unusually bright day," Temari commented as they step out the front door. Their raincoats hung inside, tempting fate to punish them for assumption. "It might be sunny for the rest of the week, if we are lucky."

"Has that ever happened before," Gaara frowned doubtfully. Amega would probably wilt away with extended exposure to the sun.

"There's nothing wrong with hoping."

Naruto was back at school, acting as if nothing strange had happened in the past week. He bounced around with Lee, dragging Gaara along. The sun was so nice and pleasant that the teachers let the kids out for the rest of the day after lunch. Everyone enjoyed this, except for Gaara. The Akasunas were not there. Of course, several other kids had chosen to ditch school, too, but he was certain Hinata's family hadn't skipped to stay out in the sun.

Apparently his moodiness was evident to others: Ino's troupe and the rest of their classmates kept a healthy distance from the picnic table he was lying on top of. Lee asked him only a few times whether he was well and made only the suggestion of visiting the nurse once. He and Kiba Inuzuka dragged Naruto off to play some ball game (it looked like a mixture of football and soccer with no rules). Temari picked up on it as well.

"Is something wrong, Gaara?"

Gaara looked up from glaring at an offending spoon on the kitchen table. He hardly remembered the car ride home. Temari stood in the doorway with her hands on both hips—intent on talking. He looked away, indifferently, with a shrug.

"You've spent far too much time with Kankuro," she sighed, sitting across from him. "Has he e-mailed you?"

"I haven't checked lately." He didn't expect any e-mails until after Tayuya's first concert on tour. Kankuro never bothered to breach any type of conversation unless he had a sufficient supply of topics that wasn't worn down from use.

"Hmm," Temari frowned, gazing absently over his head. Gaara stared at her for a full six minutes before she spoke up again. "Do you miss Suna?"

"Miss Suna," he repeated perplexedly. He wondered whether Temari was ill or if one of those bratty teachers had gotten to her again.

"You know, the sun, sand, and clothes…"

"You miss Suna?" He was startled to find himself surprised that she missed her hometown. Didn't he miss Suna every time he stepped off the plane?

"Only sometimes," Temari pressed her hands down on the table flat, not looking him in the eye. "I've grown used to Amega. I guessed the unusual sunny day is getting to me."

"Why didn't you just move back to Suna? You could have the sun and heat…the schools are pretty much the same."

"Shikamaru's entire life and family is here."

"And yours was in Suna." He immediately regretted his testy reply.

Temari finally looked up at him with a sad smile. He stood up and walked towards the stairs, stopping at the bottom. He heard Temari pulling the cabinets open and shuffling their contents. He reluctantly stepped back to the kitchen.

"I don't blame you for leaving or anything." Temari paused. He was sure she could his whispered comment. "We all did, in the end…"

He escaped upstairs quickly. Even though one part of him was screaming for his instant suffocation in his pillow, another was relieved he had spoken up. Now she couldn't get upset thinking she had hurt him somehow by her decision five years ago. Because she hadn't.

* * *

It was sunny again the next day. Unfortunately, the teachers didn't let them out early again; Naruto complained loudly throughout the day of the injustice. Gaara was simply grateful that the gym coach stuck firmly to lesson plans and kept them inside for a game of basketball. Of course, he still managed to physically harm himself and several others (his classmates attempted to keep Naruto between them and him, and avoided throwing the ball in his direction).

The Akasunas didn't show up either. Gaara wondered how they were going to pull it off if the clouds stayed away for the predicted week. Surely someone would start questioning their absences. Luckily for them, Gaara couldn't brood longer on the issue after school. He hadn't spoken to Temari since the day before.

"Do you want to come with us?" Shikamaru lowered his voice, so Temari couldn't hear. "She might not spend as much time in department stores if you come along. It'll take your mind off the Akasunas."

"They're not on my mind." Gaara's eyes narrowed when the man simply rolled his eyes. He reluctantly dropped his bookbag on the couch and following them out the door.

Temari smiled at him. Gaara chose to sit behind Shikamaru, even though he had got in on Temari's side. If his dear brother-in-law made a not-so-dear remark, he retained full rights to hit whatever imaginary, poisonous insect that landed on the back of Shikamaru's headrest. Shikmaru glanced in the side mirror at him and, regrettably, kept silent.

Gaara stared out the window. The forest (sometimes it was too green to just be called the woods) enclosed the road. He wondered if he could spot the place where the human-killing beast was. No one at school mentioned it; surprising as it would had added a nice revamp on the grapevine. The arrival at Kiri was the usual of a tourist site. The waves looked almost inviting in the sunlight. The shore was crowded with people soaking up the sun.

"Why don't I meet up with you two at the boardwalk," Shikamaru suggested as they pulled up to the mechanic's. "I might be awhile. Asuma said it's possible to wear down the bill with persistence."

"Fine. We might as well as eat in town, too."

Gaara glowered at Shikamaru as they drove off. He spotted a few teenagers he recognized from school on the boardwalk. The department stores were just a block away. Temari parked the car and locked it.

"Do you need to get anything?"

"No." Gaara stuck close to her side as they weaved their way through the crowds. He waited in a corner of the store.

As expected, several people were rushing to shop big without the worry of rain destroying the purchases once outside. He had found it interesting as a child to watch the interactions in the supermarket or at festivals in Suna. People's personalities shone through. There were the pushovers, the bulldozers, the uptight parents with kids, and the multitude of teens who every once in a while tried to knick something with varying chances of success. Temari was an efficient shopper. She grabbed whatever looked remotely interesting off the shelf and didn't waste time over indecision in the stall. Gaara had rarely been asked to offer an opinion.

Within thirty minutes, they were out of the store. Gaara helped carried the bags to the car. He looked over at the boardwalk. Three years had passed since he last visited. It had been (and still was) too crowded for his taste.

"Do you want to go down to the boardwalk?"

"Mrs. Nara!" Both looked up as a group of girls approached them. "It's nice to see you outside of a school setting."

"Megumi? What're you doing here," Temari asked, hugging the shorter girl. "I thought you went off to university at the capital."

"It closed yesterday for spring break." Megumi grinned. "They're really backwards there, but I like it."

"I'll meet up with you later, Temari." Gaara backed away from the group as the other girls joined into the conversation.

"We'll eat at six," she called after him.

He waved slightly over his shoulder as he headed across the street. He turned at the first corner onto a less crowded section. This one contained older shops that tourists visited rarely. His pace slowed.

He stopped once he reached the last shop. It was a bookstore—empty, except for several shelves and a sleeping employee. He pushed open the door and was glad that it was one of the rare ones that didn't have bells. He slipped down an aisle and began his search. The books were old-none of them had been in the bookstore he visited in Suna. Some even had a worn look to them and wore less dusty from people browsing them.

He found them in the corner by the window, surprisingly. Or maybe not, since Shikamaru had managed to procure one. He traced his finger along the familiar black cover. He studied the other books-mostly novels of vampire horror or romance. His fingers were millimeters from a horror when he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise.

His head turned enough for his eyes to catch the two figures across the street. They were still for only a second before moving on down the sidewalk. Once sure they were no longer looking, he turned to catch a better look. Both wore jackets with hoods up despite the nice weather; they disappeared around the corner.

It was probably nothing. They could've just been people from Amega that recognize him as Temari's brother, or simply were just looking at the actual bookstore. With a backward glance at the dozing worker, he crept out the shop, leaving the vampire fiction behind.

The sun was gradually sinking behind the clouds. Shadows grew, and the voices from the boardwalk grew faint. He turned the corner onto an equally empty street. If he went right, he would eventually hit the street with the hotels; the boardwalk was just a block from them. By the time, he reached it, it would be six.

The buildings were taller, so the street was already dark. Gaara glanced up at the windows—some were boarded up while others had curtains. The cars parked along the curb were chipped and dented. The street was cracked with potholes. He wondered why no one thought to fix the area since it was so close to a pretty tourist sections.

He jumped when he heard a door slam from behind him. He didn't hear anyone—likely someone putting the trash or cat out. He forced himself to walk on without looking back. He crossed the first intersection after a swift check for oncoming vehicles. It wasn't until he reached the other side that the clinking of a chain caught his attention. He looked over his shoulder.

It was one of the guys from before. This one had pulled his hood off, revealing silky, blond hair. His eyes were closed, but his steps were steady, poised. He was fingering a heavy chain hanging from his belt loops. Gaara's breath caught in his throat. The guy was extremely pale, nearly snow white. His nails glinted.

Gaara turned around and continued walking. He couldn't hear the other behind him. Gaara glanced back and stumbled. The guy had been a good ten feet behind him a minute ago. He was barely a yard now.

"You must be the clumsiest male I've ever stalked," the man chuckled. His eyelashes parted, and two glowing crimson pupils peered down on the redhead. Gaara's heart sped up as he scrambled to his feet. The blonde tilted his head. "Mmm, music to my ears. The welcoming beat for my lord, Jashin."

Gaara flung himself backwards as the vampire whipped the chain expertly through the air. It was a thick, heavy one, but moved as fast as a striking cobra. It stung like one, too, when it made contact with his shoulder. He was knocked down to the cracked cement. The chain scraped along the sidewalk as the guy pulled it back with a flick of his wrist. Gaara rolled under the truck beside him as the chain smashed down again.

"Don't hide, little boy." The truck shuddered as the chain struck it. A hand slipped under the fender. The vehicle groaned as it was hauled onto its back tires. "It's pointless."

Gaara swore.

* * *

**Cliffhanger.**

**I'm so sorry for the three-months wait! I can't believe it took me that long. I promise that the next chapter will be posted within the next three weeks as I have the entire chapter outlined pretty much.**

**Reviewing is pretty much your choice.**


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